Nintendo has just announced their plans for E3 2014 which include a Super Smash Bros. tournament, unscripted game demos and…no stage presentation, yet again.

Last year, Nintendo famously gave up their stage slot at E3 in favor of a Nintendo Direct presentation, a recorded video going over their new games and gaming related news.

This year, Nintendo is promising a “Digital Event,” something that isn’t being called a Nintendo Direct, but is still a “new kind of video program that will reveal and provide further detail about the gaming experiences on the way for Nintendo platforms in 2014 and beyond.” That will air at 9 AM PST on Tuesday, June 10th.

From the sound of it, it almost seems like Nintendo has contracted a permanent case of stage fright.

Nearly all of their announcements now, big and small, are made through recorded Nintendo Direct presentations, and while Microsoft and Sony will surely have big live press conferences at E3 this year, once again Nintendo will turn to video rather than presenting live.

By avoiding a stage show, it seems like Nintendo may not have all that much to say or show compared to their competition. Nintendo’s E3 direct was only 41 minutes, less than half as long as Sony or Microsoft’s presentations. Granted, the Xbox One and PS4 events were filled with a fair amount of fluff, but it’s not as if Nintendo’s Direct was flawless either, announcing a scarce few new games.

Nintendo has a few advantages by avoiding the stage show game. Every year the Big Three are graded on whose presentation was the best. Last year, Sony trounced Microsoft by publicly humiliating them over Xbox One’s always on/used game functionality, with the reveal of a $100 price gap to boot. Nintendo? They essentially took their ball and went home. It’s a lot harder to grade someone when they don’t play on the same field.

Avoiding a 90 minute+ stage show allows them to dodge awkward moments that tend to plague those events, and also keep things rather short if they really don’t have all that much to say. But that’s a problem, considering all anyone ever wants from Nintendo is the big, (preferably live) reveal of hugely anticipated titles. Nintendo having taped presentations half the length of their competitor’s only seems to reinforce the notion that they’re not on the same level any more. It used to be a yearly three way slug-fest, but now it’s just Microsoft vs. Sony with Nintendo running the risk of being eclipsed in terms of relevance by someone like Oculus.

There’s no telling exactly what this new “Digital Event” will be. Perhaps it will be somewhat more in depth than just another Direct, and I really hope that’s the case. Nintendo has a lot to prove in an increasingly crowded video game space, one where the Xbox One and PS4 are shattering their predecessor’s records, while the Wii U continues to struggle. Nintendo almost seemed like a non-factor at last year’s E3 with their extremely limited presence and lack of a live presentation. It’s unclear why they thought that was a successful way to present themselves, and why they’re doing more of the same this year. Nintendo needs excited, energized fans, and taped video presentations don’t seem like the best way to generate that sort of enthusiasm.

In general, I’ve never been a huge fan of Nintendo Directs as a presentation format. As a journalist, it’s hard to liveblog or cover in a timely fashion as there are literally no breaks in content, and one thing jumps to the next instantly. As a gamer, it’s hard to trust prerecorded footage where at least stage presentations have live gameplay (even if it’s scripted to some degree). There’s no live audience so everything feels flat and over-rehearsed. There’s no reason for one Nintendo Direct to be all that much more important than another, given how many there are, and this one will just happen to air during E3 with a bit more news than usual. Sony and Microsoft live presentations are once or twice a year at best, making them special events, but we’re practically drowning in Nintendo Directs at this point.

I wondered yesterday if Nintendo would use E3 to announce whatever it is they’re planning in the entertainment realm outside of gaming, this big mystery shift in the company that promises to improve “quality of life” in ways not necessarily tied to video games. I have a hunch that won’t happen during this “Digital Event” given their proclaimed focus on gaming exclusively in this announcement. I suppose that will be another Direct, another day, and I’m really guessing they won’t do a live reveal with their ongoing fear of public speaking.

Nintendo, perplexing as ever, but rarely boring.

Update: As much as I may disagree with their aversion to stage shows, this E3 announcement video Nintendo made with Mega64 is pretty fantastic:

Subject: Re: Nintendo Once Again Forgoing Live Stage Show At E3 2014 Thu May 01, 2014 6:49 am

I just don't think that they have enough news to warrant having a presentation at E3. They need to get a ton of first party games out asap. Their console is great, but they need games to show it off. Most people don't even know that the Wii U is a new console.... They're as bad as MS at marketing. lol

Subject: Re: Nintendo Once Again Forgoing Live Stage Show At E3 2014 Thu May 01, 2014 7:02 am

It's like they just don't care, lol, not in a bad way just in a "look people know what to expect from us we don't need to show it off" people know about Mario Kart 8, they know there will be another Mario and Zelda game for it at some point and what to expect from them, Nintendo don't need E3.

Subject: Re: Nintendo Once Again Forgoing Live Stage Show At E3 2014 Fri May 02, 2014 10:06 pm

I don't pay much attention to Nintendo anymore which in itself is sad. Over the years I've enjoyed their games and consoles but the WiiU just hasn't interested me. I'm going to miss Zelda and Mario but maybe someday I'll grab a dirt cheap WiiU just so I can play them again.